It Pays To Write A Letter!

Dear Readers,

How about my picture form Alaska 2+  years ago!  Does that help cool you off?  It's going to only be 84 today in Green Bay, WI - we may have to get out the winter parkas!  ha ha  The high temps of 99 and humidity of last 2 weeks nearly did me in.   It was a major effort to go out to feed the birds and change the water in the bird bath.  The older I get, the less I can cope with extreme heat and humidity. 

I saw the Neurologist last week.  And this was one visit with him that went very well.  He was just as nice as he could be, and I was feeling extra sharp, so I was able to answer all of his questions quickly.  


If you remember my last visit with him didn't go very well - generic drugs were ordered instead of the brand name Mirapex - I felt like I was given the 3rd degree because I couldn't take some of the drugs he prescribed even tho I had called his office, discussed it with his nurse, and she said he said to stop those same drugs -- and he clearly was in a bad mood.  I then sat down and wrote a two page letter explaining why I was unhappy and documented as much of the information as I could.   I also  asked him if he'd prefer to refer me to another doctor.   My letter was very nice, but I did remind him that I can't help it that I can't handle the preferred drug for Parkinson's unless he wants me to spend  all my time in bed and risk falling every time I got up. I also sent him the link to the Arthritis Foundation's website that had an article on generics are not always the same as the brand named drug - so I'm not crazy when I say I can't take "some" generics!.


At the end of my visit, when he was writing the new prescription for the coming year, I politely and gently reminded him that I had to have the brand name of Mirapex and not the generic version.   His comment was "I got that message, and I won't forget it!"  So he apparently remembered my letter.  I suspect he doesn't have many patients that write him a letter.   Most people my age wouldn't do that as we were taught that the doctor was always right and you just don't question them.


So, it pays to write your doctor a letter if you are thoroughly unhappy with your course of treatment or how you are being treated.    It has taken me 73 years to figure this out.  This particular neurologist has an excellent reputation for being a good one, so I really don't want to switch, but will if things continue the way they were.


Next week I see my regular family doctor, and it's a good thing because the pain pills aren't strong enough.  I'm hoping he will say I can take them every 4 hours when needed instead of 6 hours.   Summer's are always rough on me. I'm not sure why.  It might be the highs and the lows of the pressure or the change in weather.  Whatever it is, my body hurts most of the time.  It's probably the Fibromyalgia rearing it's ugly head again.   It doesn't help that we've had such extremely high humidity either, which is bad for the arthritis.


Now on a lighter note, we had the pleasure of having a visit by a good Twitter friend (MaggieTKat and ParkerTKat's mom and dad).   It is the first time we've actually met in person.   Such lovely, fun people, and both Don and I felt like we've known them all our lives.    Mario loved having them here too as he got lots of hugs, kisses and attention.  They are from MO, were visiting in the Twin Cities of MN, and were kind enough to swing over our way on their way back home (going a day out of their way to visit).   


Wanda is a quilter, who does beautiful work and makes quilts for various animal shelter fund raisers.   She just finished a gorgeous one and has donated it to help raise funds for @BabyPatches and her @nipandbones pet supply store.   Please go over and take a look at it - it's gorgeous.   If you have a spare dollar or two and wish to contribute to the fund to help save @nipandbones, and help pay @BabyPatches' mom's medical bills, it will be greatly appreciated.   @CathyKeisha is holding this auction on her blog site and it will run most of this coming week - I believe.  To see the quilt go to: http://www.stunningkeisha.com/.  If you need any pet supplies, check out the site for http://www.nipandbones.com/.  They are an excellent company to deal with and have wonderful, timely customer service if you need help with anything.


Sorry this post is so long.


Until next time - stay cool!


Mary

It was the Jelly Beans!

Photo from Wikipedia.com

Dear Readers,

It's a purrfect (as Mario would say) day in Wisconsin - light breeze, temperature predicted to be 75 today, and humidity is low.  It doesn't get any better than this friends.  I know, I know, I know - many of my readers live in warm climates and this would feel like winter to them, but I'm loving it.

There is good news to report today.   A week or so ago I had a follow-up appointment with the psychologist to see if I was declining in mental ability or had improved.   For a change I remembered to ask him to send me a copy of his report to my neurologist and one for my records too.  

I do have to say I was in TOP FORM that day - felt good physically and mentally sharp.   Got to the psychologists office, met with his assistant (who is the one to do the testing) and promptly said to her "I don't know what's going on here, but I really feel mentally with it today."   And I did too,   

She started administering the Weschler Intelligence Scale - Adult version to me (those sections that I had done so very poorly on the very first time she tested me and also had trouble with the second time she tested me). 

The end result is that I've improved in some areas of mental functioning ("notable gains in memory, (both for verbal and visual information) Language was clear, Verbal Reasoning was Solid,, but viseospatial functioning looked slightly improved. in certain dimensions.     He did tell my neurologist that due to my family history, they should still keep an eye on my overall cognitive functioning especially with the Parkinson's.   

Now I still have some long-term memory issues and some short-term issues also. But I guess I'm at what I'd refer to as the normal (for my age) range and I can't ask for more than that.   How long it will last, no one knows, but I'll take it when I can get it.  I just feel like I've gained back the ground that I've lost over the past 9 months.   And, there was decline over those months.   Might have been drugs - who knows,

I have to tell you that I feel like a little kid who finally got an A in one of his classes after flunking last semester!!   I do feel more mentally alert these days and generally more "with it."   I really think it was the Jelly Beans I ate before reaching his office.  (shh, don't tell anyone that - he he).   I hardly ever eat Jelly beans because they are all sugar.  But the day before I picked up a bag of Jelly Belly's when I spied them at the store.,   I was running late the morning of the testing, so didn't eat a proper lunch - grabbed a hand  full of Jelly Beans and ran out the door.   I'm sure IT'S THE JELLY BEANS!   haha!

I researched on the Internet some picture samples of some of the tests.  This is not giving away any secrets nor is there anyway to practice because you  don't have the answers.  Just thought you might find this interesting.   This is just a tiny sampling of SOME of the things on the test and these same samples did not appear on the test I took - just similar things.   

Tester presented pictures of puzzle, and I was told to copy with the actual tiles.  This is a timed test, starting easy, and ending hard if, it is something that doesn't come easy for you.

Fill in the blank space.   I didn't have to do this one, but had something similar.   I could not have done this one and would have left it undone.  I just simply don't get it.

Now on this one on the left, I think I  know the answer, but I'm not sure.  i'm guessing it's #5, but I don't know if I'm right or not.


In addition to visual puzzles, she read a list of about 40 words and I had to repeat as many as I could.   That was hard even tho she read them slowly and did it twice.


Then there was a language test where she about  read about 20  words in pairs and wanted to know how they were related or alike.   This was very hard because in some cases i didn't think they were related - opposites instead.






In another test she read a story with math problems that I had to do in my head -no paper allowed.   Now if you happen to like math and are good with it, this test would have been easy peasy.  But.....  I hated math.  I do remember the times table and can certainly add, subtract and divide.   I can't solve those problems in my head tho when they are presented in story form and you have to add, subtract, and multiply in your head while retaining the information.  it's too much for this old brain.   


All in all, I was happy with the results.  I still say I did well because of the magical jelly beans.  You know - if you were not a genius in school, you aren't going to  be a genius as an old lady!  he he  



Until next time......




Mary


All pictures copied from Internet Explorer's "Images" file and labeled to be  from the Weschler Intelligence Scale   -  Adult.  I have no idea exactly what year.

Happy Mother's Day

Art work by Ann  at Zoolatry

Dear Readers,


I'm deviating a little this week by doing a post as a tribute to my own mother, who left this world for a better place in 1995 at the age of 78 after suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease for only about 4 years.  In my eyes, she was a great lady - a hero.   No, you would not have ever heard her name unless our families knew each other - she wasn't famous.   But she was a very strong, courageous lady - ahead of her era.   And I truly admire her for her strength and miss her so much even tho she's been gone for so many years.


Martha (Mom) was second oldest of 10 children and had to drop out of school in the 8th grade to help on the farm, which was typical of her generation.   Her teacher talked to Grandpa and tried to convince him that Martha was very smart and should stay in school.  But in grandpa's eyes, only boys needed to graduate from High School - a woman's place was in the home taking care of the kids.   How times have changed - thank God!   Her life was a hard one, yet she never complained.   


She married my biological father about a year before I came along.   I think she married him to escape an alcoholic, abusive father at home. Unknowingly, my father was also an alcoholic.   She divorced him when I was about 3 because she wanted something better for me than how she grew up  - in an alcoholic, abusive household.    The final straw came for her when one night my biological father was sitting in the tavern drinking, as he often did, when I was at home with an extremely high temperature and had pneumonia.  Mother told me i nearly died that night, but a neighbor came over and took she and I to the hospital so I could be treated.   To get me out of that environment, she packed me up and we moved  with one of her married sisters until she could find a job.   She spent a few years being a live-in housekeeper so we would have a place to live too.   


Keep in mind that she hadn't even graduated from high school.  Also keep in mind this was  in the 1930's and 40's.   Women just didn't get divorced in those days - you were supposed to stand by your man! But she wanted more for me than alcoholism and physical/mental abuse.  A divorced person was looked down upon back in those days - yes, truly they were.   In fact, many times you were shunned.  Some people would not let their children play with your children for fear of what you might do to their children!   After all, you were DIVORCED!


She eventually met and married my stepfather when I was in 3rd grade.  He was a very nice man and really the one I look to and referred to as my dad. he he - I remember being very sad when my mother got married again because it had just been she and I for all my life (that I could remember).  Now this strange man was going to come between us.  But that strange man was wonderful to me and treated me like a daughter.


I know her story is not all that unusual of that generation (except for being divorced - which just was not ever done back then) but I wanted to share why I loved and respected my mother so much.   She was one strong, gutsy lady to strike out on her own with no job and no education and a small baby to boot!


I think sometimes we forget about all the sacrifices our parents have made or are making in our behalf.  I certainly never thought about all this when she was alive, so I never thanked her for it.  And I wished I had.  So this mother dear, is a tribute to you for all you have sacrificed for me.  Mother, you were the best and I love you for all you did for me.


Happy Mother's Day to to all you dear readers too.  If you are a mother to either a human or furbaby, you are appreciated even if we don't tell you often enough. 


Mary   

Making A Fashion Statement - NOT

Dear Readers,

Dream Shoe

When you have Parkinson's Disease, there is a good chance that you will have balance problems - unfortunately it goes with the disease.  Thus, you need to have a good foundation so you can maintain your balance while walking.   Your days of wearing a beautiful, stylish shoe such as this one above are pretty much over.   In reality, you will be in the following - or something similar - especially when outside.

They don't exactly make a fashion statement, but will keep you standing versus falling flat on your face.   


I can get dizzy just walking outside to the patio to put bird seed in one of the feeders.   Yesterday  I found myself getting woozy as I looked up  to find the hook the feeder was hanging on and started to lose my balance.  Fortunately, I was able to stabilize myself and not fall.   Had I been in high heels, I would not have caught myself.   This happens in spite of my efforts to practice balancing on each foot several times a day.   All it takes is for the head and eyes to move too rapidly up or down and over you go - head over teakettle! 


Oh there are tons of flat shoes and sandals that I could wear if I didn't have back problems and foot problems.   That's a separate issue from the Parkinson's issue.   You just have to make sure you have a good firm foundation on which to stand if you have Parkinson's.   


Well, my wonderful yard crew (Harrison and dad) are here taking care of the yard, and I have to pay them for a job well done again.   So, will close for this time. 


Would you believe I managed to prepare this entire blog with the new blogger interface without screwing anything up?   As is the usual case with "new and improved" items, it's more complicated than ever to use now, in my opinion - but then, I don't always like changes,   


Mary

The Journey From D to D - - Not a Subject For The Dinner Table

Dear Readers, 

How did this ever happen!    How does one go from diapers to Depends in 73 years?   (snicker)   How can this be when in my head I'm only 53!

When I started this blog on September 11, 2011 it was with the intentions of being a helpful tool for someone else who is newly diagnosed with Parkinson's and struggling with all the changes your body goes thru - or perhaps in helping to broaden your knowledge base to better understand what your parent might be going thru.   It's my perspective of things and what I have picked up from reading various reputable articles.   Here we are - 7 months later and I'm already talking about (gasp) Depends!

When you have Parkinson's your muscles weaken.   Your bladder is one large muscle.  Did you know that?   I didn't..   Now if you have Parkinson's, it doesn't automatically mean you will end up using Depends, but the chances of it happening are very good.   Muscles tend to weaken as we age anyway, then add Parkinson's to the equation and like magic your bladder muscles weaken too.   What did we ever do before these wonderful products were available?

I am a big water drinker.  If I didn't drink so much water, I'd probably not be buying Depends.  Bbut I love water and you need to drink a lot for urinary tract health and general health.   The biggest problem happens at night.  When you have Parkinson's and Arthritis in the spine, your movements are slower.  Thus getting up out of bed in a hurry for a bathroom trip in the middle of the night just isn't always possible.   It is so nice to have the Depends to depend on for those occasiona l leakages that happen.  (I'm not being paid by Depends - in fact, I buy any brand that's available and is on sale!   They are  nearly all the same.)

While I'm on the subject, Urinary Track Infections are on the rise with the aging population. Dr. Duncan Jefferson blog post on "Sniffing out Urinary Tracts Infections -UTIs" is a very interesting article.  Everyone is susceptible to UTIs - not just the elderly or young children.      You'll remember I've mentioned Dr. Jefferson's blog in the past as being an excellent resource as he writes about all kinds of medical issues in easy-to-understand language. You might nose around in his blog sometime - it's full of helpful information and certainly this post is very interesting.

Until next time,

Mary

What A Day!

Dear Readers,


What a day this has been.   Thankfully, everything is fine now, but it  was an interesting morning and one we don't care to repeat.    I had an entirely different post in my head for an Easter post, but that went by way of the trash bin.


Don woke me up at 6:00, out of a deep sleep, by shaking me.   "Get up - I fell and am bleeding all over the place."    Not the best wake-up call.  Having Mario give me kitty kisses or stare in my eyes only an inch from my face is much more pleasant he he.


Don's description was a little dramatic - he was dripping blood on the carpeting but it wasn't all over the place - just a trail going from the bed into the bathroom.   I'm sure he was still stunned that he fell out of bed (yes  -  fell out of bed") and apparently hit his nose on a table nearby and landed on his face.   His face and nose have a beautiful, bright red, rug burn on them,  his pride is wounded, but otherwise, he's okay.   He is lucky he didn't break something!   


It seems he was dreaming he had fallen out of bed and banged his head.  Well, in reality, his dream wasn't a dream - it was real.  


Since he is on asprin every day as a blood thinner (after having had open heart surgery about  12 years ago), I  was worried about either a concussion or internal bleeding in his head, so I suggested we get dressed right away and drive to the emergency room.   


Four hours, one cat scan of his head, blood work, and an EKG, later -  he was pronounced okay.   


Being a Saturday morning, the ER didn't seem unusually busy, but they had to wait for all test results to come  back, wait for a doctor to read them, wait for the discharge nurse, wait for, wait for, wait for.........   They sure did give him a good going over tho.


We finally got home at 1:00 after stopping off at the drug store for a prescription - very thankful that things were not as bad as they could have been.   I promptly called the man who steam cleans our carpeting, and he came right out (was I lucky or what?)  He performed his magic (he he - his business is called Magic Carpet Cleaning and he did a fantastic job.  There is no sign of an emergency situation in this house.


So, on a happier note  - Happy Easter or PassOver or Happy Day blessings to all of you.   


Until next time - 


Mary

Feet - Human Paws

Bad picture of our Magnolia Tree this spring.

Dear Readers,

Todays post has nothing to do with Parkinson's Disease, but it is something you may very well be faced with in your lifetime - (Gasp!) Toe Fungus!   (Okay, you can stop reading here if you have any objections to this non-dinner conversation topic and come back again when I'm on a more pleasant subject.  he he )

I have had Toe Fungus for probably 20 years on one or more toes and avoided wearing sandals most of my adult life because of it.   At one time the doctor tried a dosage of Spornox on me to treat this problem, but I then broke out in a severe case of hives.   I stopped that drug immediately and just decided to live with the problem. Oh, I did mention my toes to my family doctor on occasion, and his comment was "Oh feet!"   It was very obvious he didn't want anything to do with the subject either.

Fast forward a few years and add arthritis to the toes and spine, in addition to the Fungus.   I recently had to go in search off a Podiatrist to treat the fungus problem and find one who could  cut back an ingrown toenail or a toenail that I felt was going to become ingrown.   That's when I found out that most of the podiatrists today don't want to see a patient for toenail trimming - or fungus nails.   Interesting!!   Why?   I don't know!

I finally found a Podiatrist that would treat my ingrown nail only (according to the receptionist).  (He would not trim the nails with the fungus.)   I grabbed the appointment while I could get one and went off to see that doctor yesterday.

Fortunately, he did decide to trim my horrendous nails that Don and I have trouble trimming because they are so thick.  I did not ask him to - he did it on his own,   He was hesitant to prescribe Lamisil (a medication to treat toenail fungus) because it can damage the kidneys and I'm already on lots of strong medication.   So we talked about removing the toenail covering the big toe.   I'm going to have that done - only will wait until early May so it's warmer outside and maybe I can wear open toed sandals while the toe heals.

I was really shocked when I heard doctor after doctor say that they don't do toenail trimming.   i'm fortunate that Don and I have each other, but what about those people who have no one to help them?   When you have Arthritis and get to be this age, it isn't always easy to trim your own toenails.   

Why is it that podiatrist after podiatrist office told me they were not taking any new patients for toenail trimming?   I know Medicare doesn't pay for that, and that's understandable.  But if a patient isn't capable of doing their own and is willing to pay to have it done, what is a person to do?  Yes, I could have gone to some salon for a pedicure, but I didn't want that.  I wanted to make sure the person doing the trimming knew how to work with toes that had a fungus and could maybe offer a solution to the ongoing problem.   I wanted a foot doctor!  Is that unreasonable?  

In the grand scheme of life, this is a minor problem, but it's very annoying.   

Does anyone else have that problem and have you also found it difficult to get in to see a Podiatrist for nail trimming?  

Mary